Elie Hancock

Both indoor and outdoor cycling offer many different benefits to your overall health and happiness.

“Running hurts my knees, but cycling puts my joints at ease!” This slogan should be followed by everyone because cycling has been proven to benefit our bodies both internally and externally. It is a great low-impact exercise that builds strength and endurance, and you can make it as intense as you like!

Cycling is an aerobic sport that works your heart, lungs, and blood vessels. If you cycle regularly, you can improve your cardiovascular health, muscle strength, flexibility, joint mobility, and stress levels. A healthy cardiovascular system is essential to overall health because it pumps blood and nutrients throughout your body, supplies oxygen, and removes toxins and waste. Taking care of your cardiovascular system will help you maintain your health now as well as in the future. One way to regularly sustain the health of your cardiovascular system is by doing moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity, such as cycling!

There are many different types of cycling that can take place either indoors or outdoors. Indoor cycling is harder than outdoor cycling because of differences in air flow and attention span. In an indoor cycling environment, you’re more likely to focus on breathing, pedaling technique, or how hard and fast you’re going. An air bike is a type of indoor bike that allows you to work out your arms as well as your legs and core. Because the pedals are connected to a large fan at the front, which also powers the handles, it makes riding much more difficult and requires more effort. Although it is more intense, indoor cycling is more time-efficient than outdoor. You can get more of a workout in a short amount of time when you’re riding a stationary bike because you can control the peddling speed and resistance much more easily than a regular bike. Lastly, indoor cycling classes can be taught by an experienced instructor who guides you through the class. Instructors often incorporate choreography, which are repetitive movements that correspond with the music being played.

Outdoor cycling, however, involves factors such as weather, traffic laws, and real hills that are unlike the ones you create with buttons on a stationary bike. Outdoor cycling can be more dangerous than indoor cycling because you have to worry about potential hazards on the road, such as flat tires, traffic, and getting lost. Riding your bike outside also has many benefits; it offers you fresh air and the sensation of speed, which can’t be replicated inside.
Putting aside all of the health benefits cycling offers, it’s a great hobby because there are so many varieties. Whether you are jamming out to music, taking a class, or just getting some fresh air, cycling is universal and can be enjoyed by everyone.